Which to use
“éternels” and “externes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,830
- “éternels” frequency rank
- #8,109
- “externes” frequency rank
- 32939
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | éternels | externes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de éternel. | Pluriel de externe. |
Where the eye mixes éternels and externes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. éternels (VCVCCVCC) and externes (VCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses éternels with externes
A purely visual mix-up. éternels (\e.tɛʁ.nɛl\) and externes (\ɛk.stɛʁn\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 7 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
éternels is recorded at frequency rank #24,830, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.tɛʁ.nɛl\. externes is at rank #8,109, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɛk.stɛʁn\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 32939, this pair ranks #293,949 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of éternels vs externes
Shared letters: enrst. Private to "éternels": lé. Private to "externes": x.
"éternels" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC · "externes" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- externes ← etxernes · exetrnes · extenres · exterens · externess · externnes · externse · exterrnes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "éternels" for "externes" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "éternels" or "externes" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "éternels" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "externes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #293,949 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "éternels" and "externes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "éternelles vs éternels". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #293,949 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.